The Academy
by FatCatTango
Summary: Welcome to Konoha Academy, a school where popularity and wealth reigns supreme. Enter Haruno Sakura, an average girl attending on a scholarship alone. What trails of love, friendship and betrayal will she face? SasuSaku, NaruHina, NejiTen, InoShika
1. Changes

Welcome to Konoha Academy, a school where popularity and wealth reigns supreme. Enter Haruno Sakura, an average girl attending on a scholarship alone. What trails of love, friendship and betrayal will she face? SasuSaku, NaruHina, NejiTen, InoShika

Hi! This is my first Naruto fanfic so I'd appreciate any comments! You can check out my FictionPress account as well! My username is Ribbonbean.

So, anyways, I was looking for a unique high school story, but every one of them sounded the same! So I decided to create by own. I'll try not to make it too cliché.

* * *

"_So I turned myself to face me  
But I've never caught a glimpse  
Of how the others must see the faker  
I'm much too fast to take that test"_

_- David Bowie _

Chapter 1 – Changes

Konoha Private Academy stretched out in front of her, bared in all its glory. Never in all of Sakura Haruno's life had she seen a school this large or this fancy, and she had been to a lot of schools. The academy looked more like a mansion than a learning institute, and was surrounded by game fields, basketball courts and even a beach!

"This is horrible," sighed Sakura. She hadn't even wanted to come here. It was her parent's brilliant idea in the first place. But, here she was, standing in the parking lot of the most prestigious school ever known to mankind. She pushed her glasses further up on her petite face, and straightened her tweed skirt. _What is a girl like me doing in a place like this?! _

Sakura approached the front doors, noticing that they were made of fine furnished oak, and hand-carved by an artist who's name she couldn't pronounce. The handle was coated in pure silver and had been polished recently.

"Rich bastards," Sakura grumbled and shoved the heavy door open. She was right to believe that this place looked more like an elegant house than a school. There were no lockers, only a long hallway. Sakura stood in a great atrium, with a vaulted ceiling and crystal chandelier. There was a great sculpture of the school's main founders in the center of the room. Sakura laughed slightly when she noticed that their faces had been painted over. Someone had artistic talent to be able to do that to some poor old man's face.

_How can my parents even afford to send me to this place? _

"Miss Haruno?" asked a great burly man. He was wearing a tailored suit and had a great handlebar mustache. He looked more like a bodyguard than a butler.

"Yes that's me," she forced herself to smile.

"Follow me please." He turned on his heel and began to walk down the hallway. Sakura followed after him, jogging to keep up with his steps. As she watched the man walk, she noticed the muscles ripple from underneath his designer suit. He was definitely not the average butler; he looked like he would rather do Friday Night wrestling than Sunday Morning cleaning. Their footsteps echoed through the empty hallways, as they reached another door. This door was dark blue and bore the title "Headmistress."

_Oh no, I didn't think I would have to meet her this early!_

Konoha Academy was notorious for the reputation of its Headmistress. The woman was supposed to have quite a dangerous temper. It was rumored that she once punched a kid she was so angry with right through a concrete wall!

The Butler knocked twice, nearly breaking down the door.

"Yes, yes, let her in!" snapped a sharp feminine voice. The Butler bowed his head and turned the door handle. The door swung open revealing a rather irate woman and a smiling blonde-haired boy.

"Naruto Uzumaki, for the umpteenth time stop painting the faces of this school's co-founders!" she shouted at the boy.

He grinned back deviously, "Sorry, Headmistress Tsunade. But you've got to admit they look better like this."

Headmistress Tsunade let out a roar of frustration, "NARUTO, YOU ARE TO CLEAN THAT UP RIGHT NOW AND THEN REPORT TO DETENTION!"

The boy named Naruto shrugged and stood up. He glanced your way and gave another one of his wide grins. Sakura blushed slightly as he approached her. His eyes were a shocking shade of electric blue, and his bright blond hair only added to his loud personality. Sakura noticed he wore the school's uniform; however it was not to regulation. The tie was messily done up, and the top few buttons of the dress shirt were missing.

"Hey," he laughed, "You're new here aren't you?"

Sakura nodded, "I'm Sakura Haruno."

"That's great! It's nice to meet you! Just remember, if you need someone to show you around the joint, I'm here! The name's Naruto Uzumaki and you'd better believe-"

"Naruto, stop harassing the new student and get back to whatever classes you're avoiding," barked Tsunade.

Naruto grinned again, before exiting the room. Sakura assumed that if the headmistress really got mad, well . . . you probably didn't want to be there.

"Take a seat Miss Haruno," Tsunade exhaled and also collapsed back into her chair. "As you have been informed, you were accepted into this school on a scholarship. We expect that your grades remain at the highest level. Anything less and you will be kicked out of here. Other than that, you are allowed to do almost anything else. Join a sports team or a club, it doesn't matter, as long as you keep up the grades. Understood?"

"Yes, Headmistress," Sakura kept her head bowed, avoiding to make direct eye contact.

"Don't look so down," Tsunade smiled, "Things are very eventful here. You're sure to be kept on your toes."

Sakura glanced up at Tsunade, receiving a warm beam. "I'm not going to say that you'll be welcomed with open arms, but I'm sure you'll meet some nice people. Naruto isn't half bad either."

Sakura smiled, "Thank you, Headmistress."

"Not a problem, now where's Shizune? I'll have her set you up with everything you need."

* * *

Sakura stood in the change room, staring at all the new items that had been given to her by Tsunade's secretary. Here time schedule lay flat on the bench, facing skywards. Sakura picked it up and read off her classes. She was expected in class after lunch was over. She quickly scanned the columns looking for the time.

_**1:00pm – 2:00 pm : English with Hatake Kakashi. **_

_Great I have English! _Her mind groaned. Just something she would be able to look forward too. English was not her strongest subject even though she aced it in every other school. Still, in English there was really no right answer to the questions asked. It was hard and complicated.

Sakura collapsed on the bench and picked up the next item given to her, the school uniform. It was a white blouse with a thin black tie and a grey and black pleaded skirt. The woman working the school store had insisted on making her buy the smallest size, but Sakura stayed firm on her belief to go with the average size. She wanted to be able to at least breathe while she was in class, thank you very much!

She pulled it on begrudgingly, doing up all the buttons and zippers, before turning to face herself in the mirror. The shirt was a bit baggy and didn't accent her body well, the skirt was a bit big, but at least it ALMOST went to her knee. She didn't want to have members of the opposite sex watch it ride up her thigh if it were too tight. The stockings made her knees knobby, but there was nothing she could do about that, but at least the black shoes were comfortable.

"Well Sakura," she stared at herself in the mirror, "This is about as good as its going to get."

She sighed loudly and pushed her thick classes back up on her face. She looked at herself in mirror once more, and she couldn't see anyway around it. She looked like the modern day nerd. Her soft pink hair was tied up in a bun, her large glasses magnified her eyes to look almost twice her normal size, and the uniform made it so much worse. She sat back on the change room bench and rubbed her temples.

"Life's cruel," she commented bitterly.

She picked up the last item she had been given, her room key. She had yet to actually check it out, but Shizune told her she had it all to herself.

"We weren't really expecting you because your application came in late, so you get this room all to yourself. I'm sure you'll like it," she had said.

Sakura dangled the keys in front of her, maybe she'd check it out. The bells chimed out over the school, signifying the end of Lunch.

"Crap, I don't know where my classroom is!"

* * *

Sakura rushed into her English classroom 10 minutes late. She had gotten lost in the huge school, as well as the huge crowd. Not only that, no one would even look at her when she had asked them a question. What kind of insensitive jerks attended this school anyway!?

"Sorry, I'm . . . late?"

There was barely anyone there. The teacher wasn't even there!

"Hey, Sakura-chan!" shouted a peppy voice from the back of the classroom. Naruto stood up and waved at her happily.

Sakura hesitated before walking towards him. What else could she do? She didn't know anyone else. Actually, she didn't know if anyone would even consider sitting beside her, that was, before she was grabbed from behind.

"What are you doing Naruto, hitting on the new girl again?" shouted the girl who had grabbed you. She had chestnut hair coiled tightly onto her head, giving her the illusion of a panda. Her chocolate colored eyes glared suspiciously at Naruto.

Naruto raised his hands in defense, "Honestly Tenten, I meant no harm."

"Yeah right!" she snorted, "Come on, we'll keep you safe from idiots."

Tenten placed her hand on Sakura's shoulder and steered her into the chair next to her. Sakura sat there stunned at the events that had just unfolded. Honestly, what the hell?

"Umm . . ." Sakura started.

"Sorry about that. I'm Tenten, nice to meet ya!" she grinned happily. "Welcome to Konoha!"

"Thanks, I'm Sakura Haruno. But, why did you . . .?"

"Save you from Naruto? Well there are two reasons. One, he's a loud and obnoxious moron, and secondly I don't want to see you get murdered on your first day."

"What?" Sakura asked, shocked.

"It's simple, if Naruto doesn't kill you with his peppy-ness, his fan girls will," Tenten explained.

Sakura looked back at Naruto from her seat in the middle of the classroom. "He has fangirls?"

"Yeah, funny to believe isn't it. He's one of the four."

Sakura blinked and glanced back at Tenten, "One of four what?"

"One of the four most eligible bachelors in the whole school! They're rich, they're smart (well, some of them) and they're good at sports. But most of all, they're all hot."

Sakura had to do a double take. Wow, the Naruto she had met in the Headmistresses office was this popular. He had just seemed like the average trouble maker. Although she had to admit, he wasn't that bad looking.

"Ohayo, Tenten," a serene voice whispered. Sakura turned and faced a girl with short navy blue hair and opal eyes. Her thumbs were twiddling in front of her and her eyes were downcast. Sakura also noticed the light pink color spreading across her face.

"Oh, hello Hinata," Tenten beamed, "Sakura this is Hinata Hyuuga, she's in our grade as well."

"Oh, hi I'm Sakura," she offered her hand to the shy girl. She took it with a gentle smile and then sat down beside.

It was a full 20 minutes into class when the teacher finally arrived. He had lopsided silver hair as well as an eye patch covering his left eye. There was a bright orange book being held very closely to his face. Sakura squinted enough just to make out the title of the book.

"Our teacher reads _Come Come Paradise_?!" gasped Sakura.

"Yeah," sniggered Tenten, "He's kind of a pervert."

Noticing her horrified expression Hinata added, "He's still a really, really good teacher."

"Alright class, today we'll be talking about your yearlong assignment," he said, lazily.

The class groaned and grabbed their back packs, pulling out binders and pencils. It was then that Sakura noticed something that made her very different from the crowd. Everyone in the room had a designer bag, something that probably was more expensive than the rent on Sakura's small apartment back home. Each person held in their hand an equally expensive pen. One girl had a diamond encrusted on it instead of an eraser! And every binder was made out of some fine material, leather, velvet and even silk! Sakura glanced down at her stubby Number 2 pencil and ripped binder.

She felt Tenten's and Hinata's eyes on the back of her head as she opened the binder to a fresh piece of paper. She ignored them. What was wrong with it? It was just a plain old book to write things in. It wasn't really anything special.

"Alright, so this year for your assignment," Kakashi strode over to the blackboard, "Will be an Observation Journal." He wrote it in capital letters on the board before underlining it. "Right so, who knows what one of these things is?"

Sakura's hand was about to shoot straight up but she never got to answer.

"A journal in which you observe something?" echoed a cool and sarcastic voice from the back of the room.

"That's right Uchiha, and may I remind you not to shout out the answer," if Kakashi noticed the mocking tone in the voice he had just let it be. Kakashi turned back to the board and started to write down the definition.

"Jeez, what an ass," Sakura grumbled to Tenten.

Tenten's pencil cracked and Hinata let out a high-pitched squeak. Much of the quiet whisperings around her were silenced, even Kakashi stopped writing. Sakura glanced around, noticing all attention on her.

"What?" she asked.

"Sakura," Tenten stared wide-eyed at her, "You just called the most popular, sought-after guy in school an ass."

* * *

End of Part One.

TBC in Chapter Two – Last Chance

Preview –

"_This is your last chance to back out Haruno, you don't know what you're getting into," he warned. _

"_Just try me." _

Please, Review begs


	2. Last Chance

Okay guys, the second chapter is up and running!

A few things need to be mentioned before we continue

- The rating is subject to change. Right now it is rated "T" it might go up to an "M" later for different reasons.

- I'm sorry if any characters seem out of character (Especially Sasuke and Sakura)

Alright that is it for now! Enjoy the next chapter!

* * *

"_You ain't nothing to me if you got nothing to say  
I don't know what you got that I can use anyway"_

_- JET _

Chapter 2 – Last Chance

The bell rang, signaling the end of English just as it practically began.

"Hmm," Kakashi glanced at the clock, "Time to go already? Well we'll finish up tomorrow. Class dismissed."

There was a crowd surge towards the door. Sakura felt Tenten and Hinata place an arm around her and steer her off through the mass of people. Outside the classroom the hallway was a zoo. There were people running down the hallways, desperately trying to not be late. There laughs and giggles from the people who were sharing the latest gossip. And there was a group of gaggling girls ogling after several boys. Sakura squinted but couldn't make them out.

_Damn, _she thought, _I really need to get a new pair with the right description! _

Suddenly there was a blinding flash of light in Sakura's face. She felt her heavy glasses slip down her petite nose as she had suddenly took a step backwards. Tenten and Hinata's grip tightened, preventing her from falling as her arms went up to cover her face.

"Hi! Welcome to Konoha Academy, what's your name?"

"Uhh," Sakura glanced at the boy with the camera, "Sakura Haruno."

"Great, see ya!"

Without any word of welcome the boy whipped around and headed off, whistling a merry tune.

"What was that?" Sakura asked.

Tenten and Hinata exchanged looks. "Well Sakura," Hinata explained, "Konoha Academy has a newspaper and. . ."

"A lot of crappy stuff gets published in it. It's basically a tabloid," Tenten added in.

"So I'm going to be in the school newspaper?"

"Yep, be sure of it," Tenten said, "There's a new issue every Friday, it's really popular here so be early to get one or else the line goes on for miles."

Sakura smiled, "Alright."

The hallways were elaborately decorated, with crown molding and oak floors. It was fully furnished with chairs and sofas every so often to help accommodate tired students. Paintings and portraits lined the hallways, offering a relaxing and homey feel to the sophisticated school.

However, it was not the interior fashion design that Sakura noticed, it was the students. Many of the students weren't wearing their uniforms properly. Many of the boys weren't wearing their ties, and their shirts were open, showing the top parts of their chests. Their shirts were also untucked and unpressed, their school jackets no where in sight.

The girls were no better. Their shirts were bought at the smallest and most slimming size possible. Several buttons were gone from the tops of their blouses as well, exposing the tops of their breasts. Their skirts also looked short and tight. Sakura was sure that when they sat down you could see the lining of their panties.

Sakura rolled her eyes. Sure, she had been to schools like this, but she didn't expect this behavior in a place like this.

"So you've noticed, huh?" Tenten asked.

"It's almost pathetic," Sakura hesitated before saying this, not sure what reaction she'd get.

Tenten smirked, "It _is _pathetic."

"Why do they do it?"

Tenten sighed, "Well, remember the newspaper that's like a tabloid we mentioned earlier?"

Sakura nodded.

"It really is a huge thing here. This place is like a breeding ground for Hollywood, everyone always trying to do the next best thing."

"But why?"

"Because of the attention they'll get. They all want to get noticed, especially the girls because it means that they'll get closer to the Big 4."

The bell rang clearly through the school halls. Everyone was immediately heading into their classroom. The corridors became vacant.

"Oh crap, I don't know where my next class is!"

"What is it?" Hinata asked kindly.

Sakura rustled through her bag, throwing old papers and candy wrappers on the floor until she found it. It was crumpled and had fallen to the very bottom of her bag. She unfolded in gingerly.

_**2:05pm – 3:05pm : Math with Kurenai Yuhi **_

"Ouch, Math with Kurenai. She's a real bitch sometimes," commented Tenten.

"Tenten!" gasped Hinata, "She was really nice to us!"

"Maybe," snorted Tenten, "I still nearly failed!"

Hinata turned to face me, "Follow me, I'm in your class."

"See ya later guys," Tenten waved, "I have Science with Asuma."

"Bye," Sakura grinned and waved cheerfully.

Hinata took Sakura's arm and lead her off to her next class.

* * *

The Math classroom was just as gorgeous as the rest of the school. The wooden desks rose up in an auditorium way, each seat giving a clear view of the front blackboard. The desks were furnished in mahogany oak, glowing a radiant crimson color from the light outside the French windows.

"Miss Haruno I presume?" asked a beautiful woman from the front of the room. Her scarlet eyes pierced through Sakura instantly.

"Yes, Ma'am," Sakura squeaked.

The woman smiled serenely, "Welcome to Math class. We only have one available seat for you. I'm sorry it's at the very back."

Sakura glanced at the top of the classroom. The desk was hidden in shadow due to the way it was angled. The sunlight from the window bounced nowhere near it. It gave Sakura an eerie feeling of dread.

She gulped, "It's alright, thank you sensei."

Sakura headed up the stairs, feeling the eyes of everybody in the class on her.

"Wait a second, why does she get to sit next to Sasuke-kun?" cried a girl in the second row.

Many people began to whisper. Soon enough, the murmurs created a humming noise in the back of Sakura's skull. She wished desperately for it to stop. It wasn't like she wanted to sit next to this person. But, then again. . .

Sakura turned around to see almost every girl in the room shooting her looks of anger, anguish or envy. Could she possibly be sitting next to one of the 4 boys Tenten had mentioned earlier? She found Hinata's meek gaze. Hinata's mouth was covered by one of her hands, her eyes staring at her apologetically.

"Are you going to sit down?" a familiar cool voice commented sadistically.

Sakura whipped around and nearly fell over in the process, to meet eyes of deep coal. They punctured through Sakura, taking in everything. Sakura felt herself hold her breath, she trembled slightly. The boy in front of her was incredibly handsome. His skin was smooth and the palest color of ivory. His hair was messy and the darkest shade of ebony. If Sakura hadn't known better, she might've guessed he was a vampire, but she knew they weren't real.

Snapping back to reality, Sakura sat down next to him and pulled out her books. She felt his eyes give an amused little raise before he turned back to face Kurenai who was diving into a new lesson.

Sakura hurriedly scribbled down the notes on the bored in her notebook. She chanced a glance over at the boy who was lazily flipping his pencil around his fingers. He did with such skill that he could've probably done the same thing with a knife and likely not get cut.

_What's with people at this school?! _

Sakura rolled her eyes and continued to do her work.

"Uchiha, come down here and answer this question," called Kurenai from the front of the room.

Sakura froze, dropping her pencil instantly. Uchiha? UCHIHA? The boy she had called an "ass" just one period earlier was sitting beside her now?

He rose from his seat and smugly strolled to the chalkboard. He picked up the piece of chalk and began to start writing out the answer. Sakura noticed many of the girls near the front were swooning. Some were making lovey-dovey glances at him. Others sweetly smiling. Sakura thought that if the teacher permitted it, they would have started taking their shirts off with "I LOVE YOU" painted across their stomachs. Sakura snorted at the idea, what was so great about this guy anyways? All he had going for him was his looks. . .

"That is correct Uchiha, you may go sit down now."

Sakura gaped and stared at the board. Sure enough, all of Sasuke's mathematical equations were written out correctly. A shadow loomed over her, she glanced up quickly at it. Sasuke had taken little time to come back to his seat, but he had yet to actually sit down. Instead he studied her for a moment, and gave her a challenging smirk.

"Still think I'm an ass Haruno?"

Sakura felt her temper rise within her. She did her best to fight it down, but it was inevitable. She couldn't control it well, she was never able to.

"Of course you're still an ass Uchiha, you always will be in my books."

The class fell silent, just like it did in English . Everyone was facing our way. I could feel the mouths hanging down all around us. Hinata's eyes were as wide as saucers. But Sakura didn't care. She didn't like this Uchiha character, not one bit.

"Is that a challenge? Or are you going to apologize?" Saskue asked, leaning across his desk.

"You can take it anyway you want to take it," Sakura crossed her arms. "But I won't apologize."

Sasuke's eyebrows raised themselves. He looked almost amused, but his intrigue overshadowed that. Sakura knew his type, she had been around people like this almost all her life. She had never given in to them once, and she wasn't going to give in to this idiot either.

"This is your last chance to back out, you don't know what you're getting into," he warned.

"Just try me."

* * *

End of Part 2.

TBC in Chapter 3 – Misery Buisness

Review Please!! I beg of Thee!


	3. Misery Business

Guess, whose back, back again

Guess, whose back, back again? I apologize for this being so late but between exams, rugby practices and a fried computer this took a while to be written.

Thank you to all the people who favored me or put me on their author alert list and to Kaydreams for reviewing! You give me motivation to keep writing!

I've also decided to make the chapters longer! Since, well a lot of stuff's going to go down this school year! And I promise there shall be more Sasuke/Sakura goodness coming your way in the near future!

And for people wondering why there are some people missing from the cast, don't worry. They'll all show up eventually!

And on with the story. . .

* * *

_"Well there's a million other girls who do it just like you._

_Looking as innocent as possible to get to who._

_They want and what they like, it's easy if you do it right._

_Well I refuse, I refuse, I refuse!"_

_- Paramore_

Chapter 3 – Misery Business

Hinata waited for Sakura outside the Math classroom. It had just ended and Sakura already heard the rumor spreading around the school. It was like the Black Death, leaping from student to student at an extremely rapid pace. This was not what Sakura had hoped to accomplish on her first day, but the guy was an asshole, and she was no pushover.

Sakura had seen this before at her previous schools. The most powerful and most attractive boy in school could do whatever he wants, whenever he wants. They would use people, and then dump them faster than someone on an excessive amount of chocolate SuperLax.

"What's so great about that guy anyways?" Sakura questioned Hinata.

"Umm. . . well. . . ," Hinata stuttered.

"Sakura!" Tenten shrieked from down the hallway. She sprinted forward, succeeding in knocking several bystanders out of the way. She reached them and keeled over to catch her breath.

"I've. . . I've juts heard," she panted. "You really took on Sasuke?"

Sakura crossed her arms, "Of course, the guys a jerk anyways. I don't see what's so great about him."

"I agree, but still," Tenten shuddered, "I'd hate to see what happens to you in the future."

"I'll be alright," Sakura stated, confidence oozing out from all of her pores, "Besides, I've probably been through way worse before."

"Maybe, maybe not. But Uchiha isn't going to give up on torturing you that easily. He'll have a lot of allies as well."

Sakura pondered for a bit, "Well, I can't be the only one in this school who doesn't like him."

Tenten sighed, "I guess you have a point there Sakura. But there will be a lot of people not on your side, a lot of people waiting for you to fall."

Sakura looked at both Tenten and Hinata before lowering her voice and whispering, "I won't fall."

Tenten smiled and Hinata actually laughed a bit, "Alright Sakura, we'll back you up if you need it. Besides, I'd love to see the look on his face when he realizes that he's lost."

Sakura smiled, "Great, then off to next class then?"

Tenten and Hinata nodded and the three girls headed off in the directions of their next class. Sakura was disappointed to find out that she wasn't in Tenten's or Hinata's next class. While Tenten scampered off to her History class, Hinata bade goodbye and scurried to her Music class. Sighing Sakura pulled her crumpled schedule out of her bag.

_**3:10 – 4:10 –Chemistry: Asuma Sarutobi **_

Sakura groaned inwardly, just hoping that this day would be over. She yanked a map of the school out of her bag as well and quickly scanned it for her Chemistry classroom. She kept her eyes on her map as she weaved through the enormous crowds of people swarming the hallway. Why did people have to have their conversations in the middle of a hallway anyway?

She took a sharp right at the next corner only to find herself walking flat out into another person. Sakura fell backwards on the ground, a position she was finding herself getting used to.

"Ouch," she grumbled, rubbing her backside. It hurt; the person she had walked into must've been a real monster.

"Watch where you're going freak!" screeched the woman she had bumped into.

Sakura looked up to find herself face to face with a very beautiful girl. She had her long golden blonde hair tied back into a high pony-tail, her ice blue eyes glaring angrily into her emerald ones. Her uniform, like most girls at this school, was bought several sizes too small, showing parts of her stomach and the top part of her chest. Sakura could distinctly see the black lace bra easily poking out of the side of her chemise. The girl's skirt was hiked up very high leaving nothing to anyone's imagination. However, Sakura sensed and air of familiarity with the girl.

". . . Ino?" Sakura dared herself to believe.

The determined stunning blue glare faltered, showing a hint of surprise behind the sapphire eyes.

"Sakura?" shock settled in, "Is that you?"

Sakura couldn't even believe it herself. Ino had been her first friend when she entered kindergarten. Sadly, there was one major difference Sakura noticed in Ino; the once innocent little girl looked more like a Playboy Bunny than a high school student.

"Yeah it is. . ." Sakura answered.

Ino let out a piercing squeal, causing several bystanders to drop their books and cover their ears. Ino flung her arms around Sakura's body, squeezing her tight with impossible strength. Sakura gasped for breath trying to squirm her way out of Ino's rib-crushing embrace. She felt Ino finally let go and grateful air rushed to her lungs, but it was accompanied by the strong stench of perfume. Sakura choked and coughed, trying desperately to ignore the demanding smell of flowers.

"Wow, you look different Sakura," she felt Ino's eyes travel up and down her body. She was probably absorbing the image of Sakura lying on the hallway's floor in a baggy uniform, pink hair falling out of the impeccably stiff bun on her head, and her thick glasses slipping down her nose. She watched Ino bend down towards her, studying her face. Ino reached out a fore-finger and poked her in the forehead.

"Looks like you still have an enormous forehead!" Ino chortled.

"Shut up Ino-pig!" she snapped back, before joining Ino in small fits of hysteria.

It had been a long time since either of them had seen each other, and they were still able to bicker like the kindergartners they had been when they first met. Sakura let a smile wash over her pale face as Ino offered her a manicured hand. Sakura took it eagerly and she was pulled to her feet.

"So what class do you have next?" Sakura asked.

Ino blanched, "Chemistry, with Asuma."

"Really? Me too!" Sakura grinned.

The bell chimed through the school, signaling tardy students to pick up their pace.

"Shit, we're going to be late!" Ino cried, seizing Sakura's hand again. "It's this way forehead girl," she joked, pulling Sakura quickly along beside her.

Sakura hadn't felt this content in years. This school may have been full of pompous pricks (a certain black-haired Uchiha burst into her mind), but she had also met more nice people than she had in any other school before. And maybe, just maybe, she'd find herself another ally in Ino.

* * *

Sakura entered the Chemistry class standing right beside Ino. She wondered how awkward she looked, the straight-knit nerdy girl standing beside someone who was as . . . _revealing_ as Ino. The class however didn't seem to notice, the rowdy crowd seemed content with just gossiping about the latest school developments, namely her feud with Sasuke Uchiha.

She took time to pause and admire the classroom she had just entered. It was a state-of-the-art facility, perfect for the practical use in chemistry. There were three long rows of counters, each made out of the finest marble Sakura had ever seen. Situated between each set of two metal chairs were gorgeously sculpted sinks and gas fixtures for Bunsen burners. At the front of the room stood an escalated station for the teacher's use, which was complimented with a white board and a projector. On each side of the classroom were large cupboards, no doubt brimming with scientific materials ready for the use of students.

"Sakura, over here!" Ino waved to her.

She snapped out of the trance the room had given her and started to dodge her way through bunches of people towards the place where Ino was sitting.

"Sakura, meet Choji," she gestured to the plump boy who was currently shoving chip after chip into his mouth.

"Nice to meet cha," he managed out through his munching. Sakura tried her greatest not to look at him with disgust. She managed out a small, "Hi."

"And this genius over here is Shikamaru," Ino pointed out.

Shikamaru was currently leaned over the desk, cradling his head in his arms, taking an afternoon nap. But this wasn't what caught Sakura's attention. Instead there were many girls currently surrounding the small group, all their sparkly eyes taking in Shikamaru's sleeping form. Several girls were giggling merrily as they pulled out a camera and quickly snapped a shot of the dozing teenager. Sakura witnessed Ino rolling her sky blue eyes as she rapped her knuckle on Shikamaru's head. He groaned, and lifted a hand to rub the spot where Ino had touched him. He stretched out, reaching his hands behind his head, and let out an enormous yawn.

"Troublesome woman," he grumbled, glaring bitterly at Ino.

"Well don't fall asleep with thousands of your annoying fan girl's surrounding you!"

"You're an annoying fan girl too. . ." he mumbled quietly, the statement barley reaching Sakura's ears.

The door at the front of the room smacked open, and a tall dark figure entered the room. Sakura winced, recognizing the figure immediately as the school's number one pain-in-the-ass. Sasuke Uchiha smirked handsomely at the class, his flawless features earning him looks from both girls and boys alike. His deeply dark eyes scanned the room, before locking on Sakura's emerald colored ones. It was at this moment Sakura was glad for the huge, heavy-lenses perched on her pert nose. The glasses were able to distort the look of shear terror she felt for several seconds.

Sasuke's eyes glinted devilishly as he swaggered towards her, easily parting the groups that had once stood in Sakura's way. Sakura straightened herself up to her full height, which was (regrettably) still shorter than Sasuke's presence. The looks of fear in her eyes was vanquished and replaced by an annoyed expression that scarred her petite features.

"Oh my God! Sakura_ he's_ coming this way!" Ino squealed into her ears. Sakura blinked and looked at Ino disbelievingly. _On no, _She thought, _Not Ino too! I mean there is NOTHING whatsoever great about this asshole! _

But Ino's eyes gave everything away. The blue eyes sparkled like sapphires, a faint pink blush formed on her face. Sakura groaned and smacked her hand to her face in agony. So much for thinking that Ino would back her up. As far as Sakura could tell Ino was head-over-heels in love with the guy.

Sasuke stood in front of her, now having successfully crossed the classroom to where she stood. Sakura stared fiercely into Sasuke's eyes.

"What?" she seethed, hoping Sasuke would feel every iota of hate dripping from, her question.

"Your in my way, freak," he answered smugly.

Sakura crossed her arms and continued to poor her anger into her unflinching gaze. She didn't know how long they stood there, all she knew was that she wasn't about to stand aside. This guy wasn't about to boss her around like he did to others. She would never stand for it and she would never bow down, no matter how scared of him she was. Murmuring erupted throughout the elaborate classroom. Many people were pointing towards the two, clearing showing the topic of today's most interesting gossip.

"She's the new girl? Sasuke's right she is a freak."

"She's so ugly. What's up with the pink hair? I wonder if it's natural . . ."

"That's the girl who's standing up to Sasuke? She's going to be crushed!"

Sakura clenched her fists tightly, wondering vaguely if she was squeezing tightly enough to draw her own blood. She hated this school, and almost EVERYONE in it. She could understand when people would call her a "nerd" or even a "dork." But there was one thing she wasn't, and that was a coward. And she was ready to unleash all her revulsion for this institution on the sly-smirking bastard who was still staring at her.

Sasuke sighed, "So you're not going to give up that easily, are you?" Sasuke rubbed his neck, his dark eyes alight with mischief, "That will make it all the better when you finally crack."

"Alright take your seat," called a gruff man from the front.

Students scurried towards the nearest seat, some putting their bags out to reserve seats for their lollygagging friends. Sakura took her seat between Ino and Choji, determinedly looking anywhere but at Sasuke, who had pulled a chair up next to Shikamaru. At the front of the room stood a tall, scruffy looking man with a cigarette sticking out of his mouth. He held a clipboard aloft in his hands, and started to call out the attendance.

Sakura couldn't help but let herself glance at Ino. Ino's blue eyes were wide in disbelief, her mouth hanging open slightly.

"What?" Sakura couldn't help but hiss.

"You're the one taking on Sasuke? But why?"

"He's an arrogant ass who is full of himself, need I say more?" Sakura huffed.

Ino shook her head, "Sakura, Sasuke practically _owns_ this school. He'll slaughter you."

Sakura scoffed at her exaggeration, "Not you too! Come on Ino, you have to admit that he's a conceited fool."

"But Sakura, look at him. He's every girl's dream!" Ino swooned. "He's incredibly attractive, and smart to boot."

"I don't care if he is all that, someone has to show him up one day, and it might as well be me."

"Sakura, what happened to you?" Ino demanded, her voice rising slightly, "You were never like this when we were kids."

"10 years of consistently changing schools and meeting jerks like him must've had some effect on me."

Ino let out an annoyed breath before crossing her arms and looking the other way. Sakura couldn't help but noticed that sitting across the aisle from them Shikamaru and Sasuke were also in conversation. Sasuke grinned evilly as he dictated information into Shikamaru who, to Sakura's great appreciation, looked like he could care less.

"Alright class, it's time for me to split you up into lab partners. You'll be partners for the remainder of this term. If you have any complaints, I don't care. You're stuck with them, you got that," he growled.

Almost instantly, the girl population of the class swarmed the counter where Sasuke and Shikamaru were seated. Many of the girls were ordering at Asuma to put them together with one or the other. Asuma stuck one of his fingers in his ear and twisted it, obviously aggravated by the gaggle of helpless fan girls. To Sakura's horror, one of these brainless swine was Ino, who was currently attempting to grab a hold of Sasuke's arm.

Sakura also realized that many of the girls seemed to be dressed similar to Ino, their skirts hiked up to just cover what the world wasn't supposed to see. The white blouses were tight and not properly buttoned, revealing more than Sakura really wanted to see. She was also able to note that, although many of the boys in the room had taken it upon themselves to notice these little details, neither Sasuke nor Shikamaru had. On the contrary, they both seemed a little "put off."

Slowly, Asuma was able to pry girls away and pair them off with members of the rather irked male population who weren't being doted on by the crew of fan girls. Sakura groaned as she noticed that she was probably lumped into this category as she was the only female in the room who hadn't thrown herself at them. But then that was just her, always one of the boys.

Sakura blinked as a shadow of a young woman extended across the countertop in front of her. Sakura glanced up to be met with a deadly grey glower from a very attractive brunette. Like the rest of the girls, she was the exact same, revealing a little too much skin and wearing a tad too much of make-up for Sakura's taste. She was also wearing a pair of black fish nets to accent the length of her long legs. Her brown hair came down in ringlet's, which made Sakura wonder how long she spent getting ready every morning.

"You're also in _my _way, freak." She simpered, her voice absolutely drenched in fake sweetness.

"Oh really, and how so?"

"My partner," she gestured towards Choji, who was merrily chomping down his umpteenth bag of potato chips. Sakura detected the sickened look on the girl's face as she watched Choji stuff himself content. Sakura felt the loathing boil in the pit of her stomach. Sure, she had only known Choji a little while, but from what she could tell he was a nice guy, even if did eat too much. Not to mention he was cute with such a round face and rosy cheeks. Just because he was a little different gave this person no right to write him off so easily.

"Hey Choji," Sakura turned to him.

"Yeah?"

"Uhh. . . Can I have a chip?"

At first, Choji's eyes narrowed, his hand went to protect his bag. But one look at Sakura's begging green eyes made him sigh and reluctantly offer her one. Sakura grinned and took it, taking her time to enjoy the salty flavor of the thinly sliced potato.

"Thanks Choji, you're the best," Sakura said loudly, assuring that everyone around them could hear.

And as Sakura stood up she looked at the saucy brunette and licked her lips, removing the salt that lingered there. The woman looked furious, and Sakura knew why. Potato chips were very fattening, so the sickly thin brunette probably hadn't eaten them in a while.

"Would you like one too?" Sakura asked sweetly.

The brunette scowled and under her breath whispered, "Fat whore."

Sakura was sure that only she had heard it anyway, but she offered a grin regardless. But to her surprise Choji stood up and shouted, "Who you calling fat?!"

Sakura walked away quickly, sniggering at the rant the other girl was now going to be face with.

"So now, who do I have left to partner up?" Asuma murmured thoughtfully.

Sakura blinked and realized the only people who had yet to be partnered up were Ino, Sasuke, Shikamaru and herself. Sakura noticed that Ino had successfully been able to latch herself onto Sasuke's arms, beaming up at him then to Asuma and back again. Sasuke wore a vacant expression, though is eyes flickered to Shikamaru every so often, giving the teacher his silent recommendation. Shikamaru was yet again, attempting to nap of on the marble countertop in front of him, seemingly out of contact with the world around him.

Sakura unconsciously took a step towards Shikamaru, rather being a partner with a lazy-ass than a stuck-up prick or a love-sick Ino. Asuma was amused by watching the teenagers desperately attempt to avoid each other. The scenario even made him let out a quiet chortled before he reached his conclusion.

"Ino is to be partnered with Shikamaru, and Sakura is to be partnered with Sasuke."

Pandemonium erupted in the classroom, mostly on the account fan girls demanding to switch partners with Sakura.

"Why do I have to be with pineapple-head?!" exclaimed Ino.

"Troublesome. . ." Shikamaru muttered, finally sitting up from his sleeping position.

Neither Sakura nor Sasuke uttered anything. Sakura stood there mortified at the possibility of having to be stuck with this guy for at least half of term. Surely Sasuke must have felt the same way; he too would want them to switch partners as soon as possible. She was about to approach Sasuke about this unfortunate predicament, when she discovered the sadistic expression on Sasuke's face.

He sat down t one of the empty stations and gestured for her to sit beside him. Sakura's jaw dropped, as well as nearly everyone's in the classroom. Sakura strode to their new seating arrangement and slammed her fist on the table, and meeting his eyes with such ferocity that, if it were anyone else, they would be cowering.

Succumbing to her evident defeat, Sakura threw herself into her chair, nearly knocking it over with her on it. Similarly, Ino trudged to her new seat beside Shikamaru, not before sending Sakura a look of utmost look of contempt. Sakura crossed her arms over her chest as she fumed, a frown evident on her face.

"Alright, settle down and take out your books."

Sakura, pulled her chemistry text book and a notepad out of her bag, stubbornly disregarding the fact that she was now seated beside the school's most loved (and her most hated) person in the world. She furiously scribbled down the directions for the solution they were about to create.

"So, _partner_," Sasuke elongated the word just to annoy her. Sakura now knew the reason why Sasuke had decided to remain her associate; he would be able to annoy her more easily and with less effort.

"What do you want?" Sakura spat.

"Easy, just go get the materials for this thing," he pointed to the board.

Sakura grumbled and slid herself out of her chair, heading towards the cupboards on either side of the room, collecting the materials needed to create the substance. Struggling to keep the amount of things in her arms, Sakura stumbled back to her new hell-spot. After successfully dumping the items on the countertop, Sakura rubbed her aching arms and glowered at the man in front of her. Sasuke sifted through the materials, setting up the base needed to hold the beaker. He frowned, and filtered through the ingredients.

"Yo, freak."

"What?!" Sakura snapped.

"You forgot the flask of water."

Sakura peered down at the materials she had collected and, indeed, the water was no where in sight.

"I'll get it; you finish setting up, unless you're incapable of doing that as well."

Sakura almost punched him. The key word in this sentence being _almost. _Instead Sakura gritted her teeth and gripped a glass beaker so tightly her hands were shaky. That egotistical, big-headed, condescending jerk was an even bigger pig than Ino, and that was pushing it. Sakura squeezed her eyes shut and inhaled deeply, attempting to calm herself down. There was no point getting angry now, especially if he was her partner. If she wanted to as well as Tsunade expected of her, she couldn't mess things up in this class too badly. The key word in that sentence being _too._

After one minute of silent meditation, Sakura sighed and reached for her notebook. She intensely focused on the instruction, making sure everything went perfectly, quickly scribbling down her observations when needed. She even, on an account of being nice, scribbled down notes for Sasuke to use when he got back. . .

When he got back? How long did it take to fill a tiny flask with water? Sakura quickly scanned the classroom for a sight of the black-haired brute. He was ever so slowly making his way back to her on the account that he was nearly assaulted by every girl on the way. Sakura rolled her eyes when the brunette working with Choji inconspicuously uncrossed her legs, flashing Sasuke (and more than likely the whole classroom) with her white panties. Sasuke however remained unaffected by this distraction; his lone goal at this moment was to make it back to her without being mauled by the overly rabid females.

"Took you long enough," Sakura welcomed Sasuke as he placed the vial of water in front of her.

"Whatever," Sasuke grunted. He looked exhausted from endearing the immense physical turmoil nearly everyone in the room had given him.

"If you knew this would happen, why didn't you make me go get the water?" Sakura asked.

All Sasuke did was merely shrug and offer a grunt of indifference. Sakura was honestly shocked that he had even volunteered to do this, and if he was aware that he would have to avoid major catastrophes on the way back. Okay, so maybe she was exaggerating everything a little too much. Or maybe she was just trying to avoid admitting that Sasuke's volunteer work had actually touched her.

"Why'd you write down all these notes for me?" he questioned.

Sakura couldn't help but smile and offer him a similar shrug and grunt. She grasped the flask of clear liquid Sasuke had brought her and poured it into the concoction. Fizzing erupted in the glass beaker, foam accumulating until it burst over the lip of the glass beaker.

"Sasuke! What was in there? There's no way water could have this effect-!"

The beaker exploded, propelling glass shards in every direction, one slicing through Sakura's arm. Not only that, but the solution had effectively been transformed into a sticky substance which had also been splayed across the classroom. Sakura was covered in the gluey matter, as were many people around, except the one person who was able to avoid it all. Sasuke was smugly leaning against a wall, a piece of cardboard was held in front of him, used as a shield.

Sakura seized the vial that had contained the water he had brought and stiffed the top of it. A stale stench made its way to her nostrils, and she shuddered furiously.

"Alcohol! You combined alcohol with the chemicals we had in there?! You idiot!"

"What the HELL happened here?" Asuma had arrived on the scene. His eyes were wide, and his mouth fell open, allowing the cigarette to fall.

"No!" Sakura shouted, extending her arm towards it. She flinched and grunted in pain, realizing that the shard of glass that had cut her earlier was now bleeding freely from her bicep. Her eyes widened in fear, if that cigarette hit the floor the whole science wing would go up in smoke!

Another hand shot out and seized the cigarette before it would cause a massive calamity. Shikamaru winced as he closed his hand around the butt, bringing it away from the foam now clinging to the surfaces of the room

"Damn," Shikamaru sighed, "That could have been nasty."

The class burst out in a frenzy of accusations, most individuals pointing to her angrily. Sakura's hand went to her injured arm, attempting to stem the blood flowing out of her wound. Her thick glasses slipped further down her nose, one of the lenses severely cracked from the explosion.

"Would someone care to explain?" Asuma demanded.

Sakura inhaled, preparing to tell Asuma everything, "Well, you see, sir, I went to go get the materials and. . ."

"She did it," Sasuke replied briefly. Sakura felt her eye's bulge with rage, what the hell was he going on about? He was the one who brought her alcohol instead of water!

"Sakura collected the materials, and she mixed the alcohol in with or experiment," Sasuke continued, "Isn't that right Sa-ku-ra?"

"No," she frantically started to deny what Sasuke had implied, but it was already too late.

The accusations flourished, many shouting furiously at her, wanting to see her punished.

"She could've got someone killed with that stunt!"

"She was probably too stupid to realize what she was doing!"

"I bet she was just trying to get Sasuke's attention what a. . ."

"What would happen if that idiot actually hurt our Sasuke?!"

"What was she thinking?"

Sakura looked at Sasuke desperately, but her horrified expression had no impact on him whatsoever as he smugly offered her a smirk. Asuma cleared his throat loudly in a try to calm the now angry mob that was now out for Sakura's blood. He called on several of the boys in the room to hold back an angry female who was convinced that Sakura had intentionally blown up the flask to destroy Sasuke's perfect face.

"Sakura you are to report to the principal tomorrow morning to explain your actions. You also have detention with me tomorrow before dinner," Asuma snarled at her. "As for the rest of you, class is cancelled until the janitors are able to clean this up. Get out, and have a shower!"

There was a hardy cheer from some at the prospect of getting out of chemistry class almost an hour early. The class gathered their things together and scampered out of the room, ready to tell the entire student body about Sakura's devious experiment in their class.

The only people who had yet to move were Sasuke and herself. Sakura didn't remember how long she stood there, gripping her bleeding arm and staring blankly in front of her. She refused to cry, to give into Sasuke's little plan and let him get to her the way he did. But honestly, how could he? Just when she thought they might have been getting along, and that he might not have been the huge asshole she first thought he was. She laughed bitterly to herself, who was she kidding? It always ended up this way anyways. Once a jerk, always a jerk.

Sakura hadn't realized how hard she was holding her cut and grumbled painfully, thick red blood running through her fingers. She heard Sasuke's footsteps creeping behind her, the sound just barely reaching her ears. She twisted around to glare at him, meeting his eyes head on for an instant. Sasuke's coal eyes however dropped to look at the incision on her limb. In the back of Sakura's mind she wondered if he felt guilty.

"Well?" she spat, "Are you happy?"

His eyes snapped back to hers, obsidian meeting jade. Another annoying smirk spread across his face, "Welcome to Konoha."

Sasuke left the classroom, slinging his bag over his broad shoulder. Sakura fumed quietly for a bit, knowing full well that if she left in this condition, she'd punch the first person who crossed her path. Once able to collect herself calmly, she through her books into her bag and left the classroom, leaving the mess to the baffled janitors.

The long, furnished corridor was empty, all students either in class or currently seeking a bathtub. Sakura trudged down the hallway, now able to fully appreciate the décor of the school. If she hadn't known better, she would have believed she was in somebody's mansion, the gorgeous wooden floors, rich carpets and the handsome tables that lined the wide hallway were absolutely stunning. Sakura's eyes were drawn to the paintings and portraits that were arranged on the wall, scanning the unfamiliar faces and checking to see if she could recognize(or even make out) any of the painter's signatures.

The sound of someone's throat being cleared was perceived by Sakura's ears and she was brought out of her sense of wonder. In front of her stood a group of girls that were in her chemistry class, and she was able to identify two of its members. One was the striking face of the brunette who had been paired off with Choji. She stood proudly in front of the cluster of students, obviously defining her as its leader. Her grey eyes were fixated on Sakura's green ones, giving her the same look Sakura was certain was the same one she had given Sasuke earlier that day. The other member of the group was, to Sakura's dismay, Ino. She appeared uncomfortable, shifting nervously on her feet, and staring at the ground, refusing to make eye contact with Sakura.

"Listen, I don't know who you are, but you can't just walk into this school and take Sasuke from us," the brunette pronounced menacingly.

"Excuse me?" Sakura asked, startled. Take Sasuke? She didn't want to be associated with that guy, let alone try to get involved with him.

"Look, Sasuke has been unattainable for years, and when he does get a girlfriend, it'll be one of us. One of us girls who _know _what a man like him _needs_."

"What he needs?" Sakura questioned openly. She looked the brunette up and down once before replying, "Honestly, if Sasuke wanted what you're trying to offer, he probably would've taken you up on this a long time ago." Sakura couldn't help herself, she had to continue. It was time for Sakura to tell these people what she actually thought of the royal pain-in-the-ass himself. "What do you even see in this guy anyways? He's a pompous prick with a god-complex!"

Several of the girls gasped, some clapping their hands to their mouths in utter shock. The brunette stared her down in disbelief, "I don't even know why he's paying so much attention to you anyways! You're just a dim-witted loser who couldn't even complete a simple chemistry assignment!"

Sakura snapped, "That was because your darling Sasuke gave me alcohol instead of water!"

The brunette's hand slammed into the side of Sakura's face, instantly throwing Sakura's head sideways. Pain ricocheted from Sakura's cheek to her snapped neck, scrambling her thoughts. Sakura bit her lip refusing to let out any sound of anguish before turning back to face the brunette.

"Don't you ever think about soiling Sasuke's name, or it won't only be his wrath you'll face," she hissed. "Let's go," she added to her friends, and she turned to leave. The gaggle of fan girls followed closely behind her, whispering and gossiping down the hall.

Sakura rubbed her cheek, now stinging from the slap she obtained. Also ready to get out of there, she took a step forward before being halted abruptly by Ino. The pale blonde had seized her arm, stopping her from moving any further.

"What?"

"Sakura I'm sorry. But Shizuka's right, you need to start avoiding Sasuke. If he won't be your downfall, Shizuka and her cronies will be," Ino warned her frantically.

Sakura snorted, "And I suppose you'll help them, won't you Ino?" Sakura couldn't keep the feeling of betrayal out of her eyes, although it was slightly concealed from the crack in her glasses, "How could you pick a side with them? I thought you were one of my greatest friends."

Ino pulled away and stared her hard in the eyes, "Like you said, things change. Time didn't just change you, it changed me as well."

Sakura's eyes were watering, "Your right," she admitted, "The Ino I remember wouldn't have stood for shit like this."

And with that Sakura stormed out of the hallway, over come with tears and overwhelmed with the feeling that, not only the whole school, but the whole world was out to get her. . .

* * *

TBC in Chapter 4 – DOA

**A/N – **I apologize for the disarray within this chapter, I'm having difficulty uploading documents to . I promise this will be resolved in the future.


End file.
